Apricots are one of the few fruits that I rarely fancy, I think I’ve bitten into too many unripe ones and been put off, an unripe apricot is really horrible! However with the British apricot season well underway and with our wonderful hot summer, there are some lovely juicy ones on offer and I bought a big bag this week which needed using up before they went over so I started baking with them.
They work brilliantly in this loaf, which is an updated version of my old Retro bran loaf. The pairing with cardamom adds a great floral hint. Do use ripe apricots as they add moisture to the bake, although you could use up any unripe ones too.
Apricot Bran Loaf
- 100g All Bran (I used Kellogg’s but there are other varieties out there!)
- 70g soft brown sugar
- 8 cardamom pods, crushed and ground in a pestle and mortar
- 160g SR flour or 160g plain flour and 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 50g raisins
- 3 ripe apricots, roughly diced (keep skin on)
- 250ml Almond milk
Method
- Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
- Mix all the ingredients, apart from the flour, together in a bowl and leave to soak for 30-60 minutes. Then add the flour and mix well. It should be like a very thick cake mix, add a drop more milk if its too thick and paste like and difficult to stir.
- Pour into the tin and cook for around 40 – 50 minutes at 170c/Gas 3/325f. Leave it in the tin to cool and then turn out and enjoy.
It’s great with spread and jam (apricot!) or marmalade or nut butter with some fresh apricot slices, or with some thick coconut yoghurt.
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